Camera Metadata Extractor (CAMex)

A simple utility to extract camera metadata from media files into a medium that can be imported into video editing applications (like DaVinci Resolve).

Quick Start

1. Install Exiftool. Optionally (on a Mac) the Automator Workflow.
2. Either
   1. Run ./bin/camex.sh <filename1> [filenameX]
   2. (On a Mac) Right-click/CMD-click on files and select Quick Actions > Extract Camera Metadata from the pop-up menu.
3. Import camera metadata to supported application.

Currently Supported

• Cameras: Fujifilm
• Applications: DaVinci Resolve

If you would like CAMex to support additional cameras and applications please open a new GitHub issue.

Why This Is Useful

Digital cameras store a variety of metadata with each media file (image, video) recorded. This metadata includes camera settings and technical information about the file, which can be very useful during the editing process. For example, a video editor may use information about the type of camera, focal length, aperture and shutter speed of clips to organize a project's media.

Unfortunately, different camera systems store metadata differently. Other than very basic media information (dimensions, FPS, etc.), camera settings and shot information is not standardized. Therefore, applications, such as DaVinci Resolve, are not able to retrieve this metadata in a consistent way from files generated by different camera manufacturers, but some have a way to import such data from an external source.

This utility generates a standalone metadata container that can be used by applications, like DaVinci Resolve, to populate their own internal tags with additional camera information that was not captured during the initial import.

Exiftool To The Rescue (Dependency)

Exiftool is a small application utility that can extract metadata from all kinds of media files. To use CAMex you need exiftool installed on your computer first. Please visit https://sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/ and follow the installation instructions for your platform. On a Mac, you can also find it in package managers like Homebrew.

How To Extract Camera Metadata With CAMex

CAMex currently only supports Fujifilm cameras and DaVinci Resolve. This is likely to change in the near future.

CAMex is a very simple wrapper for Exiftool that extracts specific metadata and saves it to a file in CSV format. Once you have a working version of Exiftool installed, you can use CAMex in a couple of different ways:

1. You can run the shell script ./bin/camex.sh
2. (On a Mac) You can use an Automator Workflow extension from the Finder

1. Run a shell script

Simply invoke the shell script ./bin/camex.sh <filename1> [filenameX] with one or more arguments. Each argument should be the filename of a media file or a directory containing media files. A new file will be created with all the relevant metadata.

If a folder was used, the metadata file will be created in its parent folder and the name will be [folder name]-camera-metadata.csv. If individual files were used the metadata file will be created in the current folder and the name will be selection-camera-metadata.csv.

2. Use Automator Workflow Extension

Install Extension (one time task)

1. Double-click on the "Extract Camera Metadata" icon. A "Service Installer" dialog will pop up.
2. Click "Install" and you should now have the workflow installed.

Extract Metadata

1. Select a file, files or folders to extract metadata from.
2. Right-click/CTRL-click on one of the selected icons and from the pop-up menu select Quick Actions > Extract Camera Metadata
3. A new file will be created with all the relevant metadata.

If a folder was used, the metadata file will be created in its parent folder and the name will be [folder name]-camera-metadata.csv. If individual files were used the metadata file will be created in the current folder and the name will be selection-camera-metadata.csv.

How To Import Extracted Camera Metadata

Use your application's Import Metadata functionality to import the extracted camera information. Currently, only DaVinci Resolve is supported.

DaVinci Resolve

1. Import media as usual.
2. In the Media page, select the clips you want to enhance with additional camera metadata (or deselect everything to target the whole bin).
3. From the application menu bar select File > Import Metadata to > Media Pool... or File > Import Metadata to > Selected Media Pool Clips...
4. Find the generated metadata file and open it.

Resolve should automatically populate the camera tags with the extracted information.

Supported Cameras and Applications

CAMex currently only supports Fujifilm cameras and DaVinci Resolve. It should be easy to expand both, the metadata definitions and the generated output format to support additional cameras and applications. In fact, it should be relatively straightforward to support a camera "auto-detect" feature. Please open a new GitHub issue if you have specific requests to support additional cameras or applications. Pull requests are always welcome.

DaVinci Resolve <-> Fujifilm Metadata Mapping Reference

The following metadata keys will be extracted from Fujifilm files and mapped to the corresponding Resolve Tags:

DaVinci Resolve Tag	Exiftool Tag	Example Value
Camera Aperture	Aperture	2.8
Camera Aperture Type	PictureMode	Manual
Camera Format	Format	Digital Camera
Camera FPS	VideoFrameRate	23.976
Camera Manufacturer	Make	FUJIFILM
Camera Serial #	InternalSerialNumber	[serial number]
Camera Type	Model	X-T3
Codec Bitrate	AvgBitrate	201 Mbps
Gamma Notes	FilmMode	F0/Standard (Provia)
ISO	ISO	160
Lens Type	LensInfo	18-55mm f/2.8-4
Shutter	ShutterSpeed	1/48
White Balance Tint	WhiteBalance	Auto
Comments	VideoRecordingMode	F-Log

Disclaimer

This software and documentation are provided AS-IS with no warranty of any kind. It is highly recommended that you make backups of all your media files before using CAMex.